


Reki's Totally Real Canadian Boyfriend

by JustGettingBy



Category: SK8 the Infinity (Anime)
Genre: 5+1 Things, Established Relationship, Future Fic, Humor, M/M, Misunderstandings, Original Character(s), POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-10
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-17 05:29:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,242
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29961648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustGettingBy/pseuds/JustGettingBy
Summary: In university, Reki's new friends just want the best for him. If only he'd drop the whole 'I have a boyfriend, he's just in Canada' thing.ORThe five times Reki's classmates thought that he was lying and the one time they realized he wasn't.
Relationships: Hasegawa Langa/Kyan Reki
Comments: 45
Kudos: 1415
Collections: Sk8 fics!!!





	Reki's Totally Real Canadian Boyfriend

i.

Aiko felt bad for the red-haired guy sitting next to her in the math lecture. In each class, he seemed more and more confused than the last. Which, honestly, was relatable. 

“Hey,” she said to him one day when the class came to an end. The row of students was packing up, but the red-head was still staring down at his notes, his face knotted in concentration. He didn’t even seem to realize she’d spoken. 

“Hey,” Aiko repeated. 

Finally, his head jerked up. “Oh. Hi.” 

“A few of us have a study group for this class,” she said. “If you want to join.” It truly was a small group. Just Aiko, her friend from high school Himari, and Tanaka Ren, who Aiko had taken a different math class with last year. 

The redhead’s pained expression melted away—his eyes lit up and a grin cracked across his face. “Really? That would save my life.”

“We meet in the library Tuesday and Thursday at four,” she said. “I’m Otsuka Aiko, by the way.”

“Kyan Reki.” He kept smiling brightly as he shoved his loose notes into a backpack. Aiko hadn’t realized it before, but he had a skateboard strapped to the back of his bag, one that looked well used and loved, with deep scratches, scraped-off paint designs, and nicked wheels. 

“Is this a mandatory course for you?”

He shook his head. “Believe it or not, I actually picked this one myself.”

“Oh? I don’t think I’d be here if it wasn’t a requirement for my degree.”

Kyan shrugged. “I wanna design skateboards,” he said, “and it turns out you actually need some math skills for that.”

Aiko nodded along. It was an interesting reason, at the very least, and she liked interesting people. Too many in the course were only there because they had so long term goal of being rich and they thought (probably correctly) that the best way to do that was by selling their soul to some company. 

Aiko wanted to be a marine biologist. And, unfortunately, some of the research did require mathematics and statics, even though she’d be content to look at whales all day. She’d even settle for classifying the different varieties of seaweed. 

Kyan Reki, it seemed, was more like her than some of their classmates—he’d struggle through a math class if it meant he’d get better at a dream job. 

Aiko suspected this would be the start of a solid friendship. 

***

Aiko was right, as she was with most things. Kyan—Reki, he insisted she call him after only their third study session—was great to be around. He was fun and bright; he was the sunshine in the dingy library meeting room. His crackling laughter would bounce off the grey walls. More often than not, his backpack would be full of various snacks for the group purchased from a convenience store as if he was twelve, not nineteen. 

He fit into the group easily. He talked about some pop idol with Himari (apparently his younger sisters were also huge fans) and could keep up with Tanaka’s quick mind. 

In fact, Aiko felt a little bad for writing Reki off so early. She’d assumed he wouldn’t have passed without their help—that was part of why she offered for him to join the group. 

As the semester went on, it became more and more clear that Reki would’ve done just fine by himself. He dug into the topics, working through and through each question until he understood it completely. 

And, before Aiko knew it, the midterm was glaring them all in the face. 

“Let’s go out after,” Himari said that Thursday in the library. Her fingers were stained blue from the ink of her notes and dark bags hung under her eyes. “I’ve been working on this for too long—if I don’t take a break after the midterm, my head might actually explode.” 

Even Tanaka nodded in agreement, despite the fact he wasn’t usually one for a party. “I could use a break, too.”

Aiko wasn’t about to protest. “A lot of people are finishing up midterms this week, I think. There should be a lot of people out looking for some fun.”

“Oh? Are you looking for _fun_ , Ko?” Himari leaned in, smirking. 

“I wouldn’t turn it down.” 

Himari laughed in agreement. “Well, in that case, we’ll have to find someone for our other resident single.”

Himari had a boyfriend of a year; Tanaka had just started seeing a girl from his statistics class. 

They all turned to Reki. Aiko waited to hear what he had to say about it all. 

Instead of making a joke, Reki only looked confused. “Wait,” he said, “who?”

Himari rolled her eyes. “ _You._ ” 

Colour rose up in Reki’s cheeks. “Oh—actually I’m seeing someone. I thought you knew.” He brushed the back of his head and closed his eyes. 

Himari’s boyfriend had joined in on a study session or two throughout the term. Tanaka wouldn’t shut up about every point in his blooming relationship; he’d looped them in on everything from the first time they’d talked, to when he leant her a pen, to agonizing over which cafe to take her to. 

Reki, on the other hand, only talked about skateboarding. He always would ramble on about some latest move, or board, or this one skater he admired. He’d never so much as mentioned a girl. 

“How come we didn’t know that?” Tanaka said. 

Reki shrugged. “I’m sure I mentioned it.”

“You definitely didn’t.” Himari narrowed her eyes, as if she was dissecting him with her gaze. 

“You can make it up to us by inviting them out with us,” Aiko said. 

“That’s gonna be a little difficult.”

“Oh?”

“They’re kinda on the other side of the Pacific right now, doing a semester abroad in Canada.”

Silence hung over the study group. Himari shot a look to Aiko, who passed it onto Tanaka in return. 

“Reki,” Himari said finally. “I wasn’t trying to be mean by joking about you being single. I was just teasing Aiko! I apologize if it didn’t land—”

“What are you talking about?”

“You know there’s nothing wrong with being single, right? It can be a ton of fun!”

“I—I know that.” Reki ducked his head. The colour of his cheeks matched his hair. “But I’m not single.”

“Sure,” Aiko said. 

Reki sighed and slumped forward onto the table, his forehead against the wood. 

Aiko and Himari passed the silent words of their long friendship. Why was this such a big deal? Reki, if he was telling the truth, certainly hadn’t brought up a girl before. So why now? It didn’t seem like him to get so defensive though, either. Usually, he rolled with the jokes. 

Tanaka cleared his throat across the table. “So,” he said, a touch too loud. “What did everyone get for the third question on the practice exam?”

ii.

The French cafe a block away from the main campus was Yua’s favourite place in the world. They sold cakes that looked like pink and yellow clouds, the sweetest bread she’d ever tasted, and stacks of macaroons that reminded her of the time she was in Paris with her parents and went to Ladureé on the Champs Élysées. 

Mostly, she enjoyed the cafe because of how quiet it was. The spot was frequented enough to stay in business, but not so busy that she couldn’t think. 

And, even better than usual, was the guy in front of her. He had broad shoulders and a muscular back that slimmed down to a trim waist. On top of everything, he had a breezy sort of street style—it was if he’d just walked off a runway and skate park at the same time. 

As he waited for his pastry, Yua maneuvered herself next to him. “Have you tried the Canelé?”

It seemed to take him a moment to realize Yua was talking to him. He glanced around the cafe before he gave her a polite smile. “Oh! No, I haven’t.”

Yua flipped her hair over her shoulder. “They’re my favourite—better than the ones I’ve had in Paris.” 

“Oh?”

“Yeah.” As another patron passed by, Yua used it as an excuse to brush up against the hot guy’s arm. Even the air of the cafe smelled like sugar. How much more perfect could this meet-cute be? “What would you say to coming back tomorrow so I can buy you one?”

His face coloured. “I’m flattered,” he said, stumbling over his words slightly. “But I actually have a boyfriend.” 

Yua’s heart deflated slightly. The saying was true—all the hot ones were taken or gay. Or both. “Well, you should take him here sometime. Free date idea. Maybe I’ll see the two of you around?”

He dug his hands into his pockets. “Uhh, we probably won’t see you for a while. He’s actually in Canada.”

Yua frowned. If he didn’t want to go out with her, he could’ve just said so. It’s not like she would have cared. 

Well. It’s not like she wouldn’t have gotten over her lingering disappointment. 

  
  


iii.

Mid-terms came and went and they all did much better than Himari expected. Even Aiko pulled a decent mark. 

All in all, the semester was flying past. In a lot of ways, Himari felt like she was slowly trying to control chaos; each week, she did her assignments and promised herself that next week she wouldn’t be so busy. Somehow, she was always wrong. 

The exhaustion wore her thin. Her head ached. She drank more coffee than water. The rest of the group followed in her habits. 

“The semester end can’t come fast enough,” Tanaka grumbled one Thursday night. Their session was running later than it ever had before—the world outside the small window had long since grown dark. Coffee cups, snack wrappers, and stacks of notes were strewn across the table. 

Himari had pulled her hair in a ponytail long ago and Reki’s headband sat off-kilter, a strand of red hair spiked up from underneath as he stared at the problem in front of him. 

“If you stare any harder, you’re gonna set in on fire,” Himari joked. 

“Ha, ha,” he said as he looked up. “Hilarious.” He rubbed at his face before he sank back in his chair. “Honestly, the end of the semester is coming too fast. I’ve got too much to do—there’s a literature paper I haven’t even started yet due on Friday.”

“Rough,” Aiko said. “I can edit it, if you need.” 

“Really? I’d owe you my life.” 

“Sure—just get it to me on Thursday at least.”

“Of course.”

From behind her book, Himari eyed them. _Wait._ Hadn’t Reki said whoever he was seeing was only gone a semester? 

Aiko caught Himari’s eyes and frowned. “What?”

Himari set down the textbook, folded her arms, and rested her chin on her hands. “Reki, I thought you would’ve been excited for the end of the semester.”

“Why’s that?”

“I thought you were waiting for someone to come back from Canada.” The slightest smirk quirked her mouth upward. 

“Really, Himari. Now?” Aiko sighed. “I’m sick of studying too, but that doesn’t mean we can antagonize poor Reki.” 

“Oh—it’s fine. They actually have family in Canada, so they’re staying for a while longer. The school year is different too, so it’s gonna be a while.”

“Ah, that’s too bad.”

“Yeah.” Reki frowned. He did actually look sad, Himari noted. Most people did not look that hurt over a fake girlfriend. 

“But!” Reki said, snapping up and reaching into his pocket. “Check this out.” He pulled out his phone and turned it toward them. The small screen showed a terrain park on a snowy mountain; the footage looked as if it were from a GoPro. 

In the clip, a snowboarder carved his way down the mountain. He glided over a rail and spun as he jumped off, before dipping into a half-pipe lower on the hill. When he reached the edges, the figure blocked out the sun—the snowboarder flipped fully upside down before landing moments later as if he’d gone over nothing more than a small bump.

“Pretty cool, right?”

Himari nodded slowly. “Yeah,” she said, though she didn’t understand it fully. Reki was definitely into skateboarding, but this was the first time he’d ever brought up snowboarding. He was always the type of person to jump from one conversation to another, but usually, Himari could follow the vague logic of his jumps. 

Today, she really didn’t understand. 

They could all use a little more sleep. 

  
  


iv.

Tanaka Ren was having a bad night. 

There was no way around it. Despite how much he’d studied for their final earlier that day, it had not gone well. Each question strained his mind; he was still burnt out from his biology final the day before. 

Now, to top it all off, his phone was sitting on the cement, screen shattered. 

“No,” he said, blinking back tears. “No, no, no.”

He bent down and picked it up, praying it was only an illusion. 

“You okay?” Reki asked from next to him. They’d all gone out for ramen and beer to celebrate the end of the term and, for a moment, he’d felt a fraction better about the day. 

But as Ren stared at the unmistakable ruined phone in his hand, everything crashed down once again. “Damn it.” He but his lip and held back the stubborn tears building in his eyes. He’d saved up for _months_ for the stupid thing. 

“Hey—hey,” Aiko said, her voice smooth. “It’s alright.”

On the road next to them, cars raced past. The neon city lights glowed and the puddles from the afternoon rainstorm caught the swirl of colours like an oil slick. Any other time, Ren should’ve enjoyed himself. 

But now… Ren sighed and pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose. “It’s fine,” he said, more to himself than anyone. “But I should let my girlfriend know my phone is busted before she sends half of Japan looking for me, thinking I got kidnapped or something.”

“You’re nineteen,” Himari pointed out. 

“Try telling her. Besides—I promised I’d let her know I made it to my dorm safe.”

“Here,” Reki said. Without hesitation, he shoved his phone in Ren’s face. “Use mine.”

Ren nodded and took the phone. On the home screen, there was a picture of a skater with pale skin and blue hair that, somehow, seemed to suit him naturally. 

_Wait._ Something about him looked familiar. Ren squinted. “Is that the guy from the national team?”

Reki beamed. “Yeah! Langa is the best,” he said. “He’s the one I’ve been telling you about. You should see some of his moves.”

From there, he trailed into a long rant about all the different tricks this Langa had mastered. Aiko and Himari were probably cursing him for bringing the topic off. 

Reki _had_ brought up a Langa. Nearly once a session: Langa’s flip this, Langa’s turn technique that. 

Ren had just assumed he was some old pro that Reki admired on a craft level, not a guy closer to their age. 

But as Reki rambled, something in Ren’s mind clicked. 

He was an idiot. (So were Himari and Aiko, but he didn’t want to throw them under the bus.)

Reki was clearly into dudes. 

That was why he was being so evasive about them pressing into his love life. 

Ren cringed as he typed out the message to his girlfriend, explaining what happened. Reki who was so kind and bright and good-natured… they’d put him into a place where he wasn’t comfortable. 

Later that night, with a few beers buzzing in his mind, Ren turned to Reki. “Hey,” he said.

Reki lifted his eyebrow. “Hi.”

“I just want you to know we all support you. No matter what.”

“Uh, thank you?”

Ren nodded to himself and took another sip of his beer. Music blasted around him and shook his eardrums and his chest. 

It was a small gesture, but hopefully Reki would know they all supported him. And, whenever he was ready to come out, Ren would be there to listen. 

v.

Niko had seen the group studying in the library for the better part of the last semester. 

She spent the better part of the term trying to work up the courage to talk to them—especially the cute red-haired guy—but the end of the semester came and went and she never got the guts. 

She didn’t expect them to be back in the second semester. Surely everyone would’ve had different schedules or different classes.

But it was four on a Tuesday and there they were, filtering into the study room. 

Niko swallowed her doubt, left her books and notes behind, and walked up to them. In her hand, she held a folded note with her phone number. She prayed her fingers weren’t rattling as badly as her heart. 

“Hi,” she said to the red-haired guy as she stepped into the room, horribly aware of all the eyes on her. 

“Hi,” he said back. 

“I saw you come here the other day and I thought you were cute,” Niko said. Had her mouth always been so dry? It felt as if it were stuffed with cotton. “I wanted to give you my number.” 

“He’s seeing someone.” It wasn’t the redhead who said it. No—it was the guy with thin-framed glasses who’d spoken. “They’re in Canada.”

But the redhead did nod along. “Sorry,” he said, his voice sympathetic. 

“Oh.” Her face burned; Niko wished she could disappear on the spot. Without another word, she turned on her heel and pushed out of the room. 

“What the hell, Ren,” said a sharp woman’s voice. “That was rude?”

“I’m just helping Reki! Hey—ow! What the hell, Aiko?”

“I think Reki can answer for himself. Besides—she was cute!”

Niko tried to ignore them as she gathered her books and planned her escape. 

Before she could make it to the stairwell, one of the girls was at her side—the one whose hair was cropped just lower than her chin and decorated with a pink clip. 

“Sorry about the guys,” she said. “They lack social skills.”

Niko still wished she could turn invisible. “It’s fine,” she mumbled. 

“Anyway, I’m Otsuka Aiko. Nice to meet you.” She smiled and Niko’s heart stumbled for the tenth time that day. 

+i. 

The canelés in the french cafe just off campus were delicious, Aiko would give Reki that. Even if they were overpriced. 

Next to her, Niko squeezed her hand. “I’ll buy next time,” she promised as the group of them took the table by the far window. 

“Nah,” Aiko said. “It’s Reki that always wants to come here. I’m the dumbass who decided to make friends with him—you shouldn’t have to pay for that.”

“Hey!” Reki protested. “It’s not my fault they’re delicious.” 

“I’m gonna be broke,” Ren complained. “I wanted to save for a motorbike.” 

“A few pastries aren’t exactly gonna break your motorcycle savings, Ren. You should get a better job than at the hardware store.” Himari set her latte and croissant on the table as she sat down. 

“I’d like to, but that’s the only place I’ve found around here that lets me keep my hours low.”

Aiko smiled to herself and sipped her cappuccino. Somehow, over the last semester and a bit, their friend group had knitted together. She even had Niko by her side now, too. 

Not that she believed everyone needed a romantic partner. In truth, some of the best and deepest connections she’d had in her life were with her friends. Who else was by her side, no matter what? 

Friendship, she thought, was seriously undervalued. Somehow it got relegated to a thing for children on playgrounds and faded into one’s adult years. 

Aiko had always disagreed with that thought, but the divide only grew larger over the years. Now, it was a chasm. 

What would she do without Hamari, who she could understand through a rise of a brow or a quirk of the mouth? Or Ren, who’d seemed so smart and serious at first, only to be a huge softie when he finally did open up. Reki, too, was a constant light in the group, always able to lighten the mood. 

Aiko only wished the best for all of them. 

And, maybe, for Reki to stop lying to them about the whole ‘girlfriend in Canada’ thing. Maybe it was one of those lies that started off as an innocent deflection that had spiralled out of control?

“Hey,” Niko whispered. “You alright?”

She nodded. “Just thinking.”

“About what?”

Before Aiko could reply, Ren’s head snapped toward Reki in the corner of the table. “Don’t all look at once,” he whispered in a harsh tone. “But Reki—I think that skater you’re totally obsessed with just walked in.”

Reki jumped up and immediately spun toward the door. 

“Hey! I said _don’t_ look, dude.”

Aiko peaked out of the corner of her eye. That blue hair was pretty unmistakable—it had to be the skater Reki had consistently gushed about. He had a distinct look.

“Langa!”

Aiko cringed. _Oh no._ Reki… there were more subtle ways to let the guy know he was a fan. 

Across the table, Himari’s eyes widened as she caught Aiko’s gaze. 

“Langa!” Reki all but climbed over top of Ren. 

“ _Dude._ You’re gonna end up with a restraining order.” Ren reached to grab his sleeve and hold him back.

“Reki!” The blue-haired guy—Langa—turned toward their table. He looked as if he’d seen the sun for the first time. 

Aiko’s heart dropped a beat. _What the hell is going on?_

Before she had time to properly string together her thoughts, Reki all but tackled Langa. 

Langa didn’t pull back. 

He did very much the opposite; he wrapped his arms around Reki, one fist balling the fabric of Reki’s yellow hoodie. He leaned his head in and his lips moved as he said something much too quietly for the rest of them to pick up on. 

“What the _fuck._ ” Ren ran his hand through his hair, pushing it away from his face. 

“I—I don’t know.” Hamari blinked and looked as if she was reevaluating her entire existence. 

“Is he real?” Aiko still couldn’t move as she watched Langa’s hands cup Reki’s face. He tilted his head upward and kissed him, in the middle of the cafe, as if the rest of the world wasn’t there. 

Aiko pulled her gaze away quickly, suddenly feeling like she’d walked into a private moment even though they were very much in the middle of a public building. 

Niko’s hand tightened around hers. Aiko squeezed her in return. 

“Guys! Langa’s here!” Reki wrapped his hand around Langa’s wrist and started to pull him in the direction of their table.

_Shit._

Langa gave them all a small wave. He half-hid behind the strands of hair that framed his high cheekbones. “Hi. Reki’s told me a lot about you all.”

“He’s told us nothing about you!” Himari was still staring. Aiko stepped on her foot under the table—they didn’t need to be rude about it.

But it wasn’t Langa who replied. “What are you talking about? I mentioned Langa all the time.”

“You talked about your favourite skateboarder all the time.”

“Yeah? Objectively, Langa is the best in the country.”

“Well,” Langa started, “not quite.” He cast his gaze down towards his feet. 

“You were in the Olympics!”

“Last year.”

“Wait,” Aiko said and cut off their bickering. “Langa the skateboarder is also the secret significant other who was in Canada?”

“Reki, did you seriously not tell them?”

“I did! I swear!”

Around the table, they all shook their heads. 

Reki flushed. “I did! I mean, I thought I told them! I talked about you all the time _and_ I said I had a boyfriend in Canada.”

“They’re not mind-readers.”

Reki brushed the back of his head. “Well. Maybe not. Speaking of which—how did you know I was here? I thought you weren’t coming back until the weekend.” 

Langa smiled and reached for Reki’s hand. “I came a few days early to surprise you. Your mom mentioned a few of the places you’d be frequenting.” 

“My mom was in on this?”

Langa nodded in confirmation. 

“I guess she’s a better secret keeper than I thought.”

“Maybe the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree?” Himari gave him a pointed glare. 

“It’s not the same! I didn’t mean to hide Langa! That was—that was an accident.” He buried his face in his hoodie and then pressed his head into Langa’s side. 

“We’re never letting this go,” swore Ren as he shuffled over, making room for one more at their table. 

Langa sat down with Reki and wrapped his arm around Reki, who was still hiding his head in his hands.

Langa easily filled in the space Aiko hadn’t noticed was missing before now. His soft laugh mixed with theirs. While the rest of them were talking away, grilling the couple for the details they’d been missing over the past six months, Langa’s eyes kept flickering back to Reki. 

As long as her friend was happy, Aiko would be happy too. 

And, despite the embarrassment, Reki beamed brighter than he ever had before. 

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on tumblr [here](https://snailwriter.tumblr.com/)


End file.
